Why Direct Action Works

Direct action means targeting the source of the problem and intervening ourselves. It means rather than appeal to institutions, politicians or any others to create the necessary changes, we create the change using our own power. It means imagining the future we want and bringing it to the present, for example if we want to see Elbit shut down, we shut Elbit down. 


Some may confuse direct action with civil disobedience. However, in order to understand our strategy, it’s important to note the difference. Civil disobedience often involves breaking the law in order to force a government or institution to create policy changes. Direct action, which we employ, bypasses our complicit government and forces the necessary change ourselves – it doesn’t involve appealing to those who perpetrate Palestinian oppression. 


Palestine Action’s theory on what makes a successful direct action campaign is broken down into five key principles:

Disruption

In order for our campaign to be successful, we disrupt our targets. Our targets run as ‘businesses’ who need to be able to operate consistently in order to fulfill orders, build revenue and make profits. Ultimately, they are designed to make money. Every time we disrupt our targets, we inhibit their ability to run their deadly business. 


Disruption to our primary targets, for example Israel’s biggest weapons firm, Elbit Systems, means we can stop them from producing weaponry, much of which is marketed as “battle-tested” on Palestinians. Every moment we can disrupt them is a victory, as halting production at one site interrupts their whole supply chain and has a knock on effect to other factories. If one action stops one weapon from killing a Palestinian, then it’s all worth it. 


Disruption is also applied to ‘secondary targets’, those who work and facilitate the operations of the primary target. By doing actions which increase costs by causing damage to their business, this ultimately increases the cost of their partnership with Elbit Systems, making it unprofitable to continue working with the primary target.

Sustained

Disruption must happen on a sustained basis in order for it to be impactful. Whilst every minute you disrupt matters, in order to win we maximise disruption by sustained actions. Any action taken with Palestine Action is part of a sustained direct action campaign. 


For our targets, sustained disruption on different dates makes it very difficult for them to operate and leads to issues with their suppliers and customers. As Elbit’s CEO Martin Fausset said in a podcast in 2023: 


“The culture in the UK is if you’re one day late, you might as well be six months late. It’s equally unacceptable. So that understanding is something we have to be very careful with.”


After a series of sustained disruptive direct action against Elbit’s Leicester factory, UAV Tactical Systems, they lost the biggest contract Elbit Systems UK has ever gained, which was worth over £2billion.

Dilemma

Causing a dilemma to our targets is a key part of a successful direct action campaign. This looks slightly different for primary and secondary targets:

Primary Targets

To win we need to make the loss we cause our primary target greater than the benefit of remaining open. Whilst Elbit is likely to sustain some losses in order to avoid the political shame of having to shut down another factory because of Palestine Action, they still operate their factories as businesses. Sustained disruption must cause a loss great enough where they have to consider whether they stay open and avoid the embarrassment or shut down to save themselves from making bigger losses.


For example, Elbit’s Tamworth factory was forced to sell to another company which stopped using the site to manufacture parts for Israeli tanks and now only make parts for public transport. They had to sell as their profit margin dropped down to 75% due to constant disruption lowering their revenue, and a huge increase in security which increased their costs. Our campaign is successful when we tip the balance in our favour.

Secondary Targets

For secondary targets, sustained disruption forces them into addressing questions for the benefit of their company or institution. For example, if a contracted firm works with Elbit and experiences constant disruption leading to losses for their company, they must decide if the value they gain from working with Elbit is greater than the losses Palestine Action is causing. For secondary targets, their whole business is unlikely to be based on one contract, and therefore it would make financial sense to not work with Elbit. 


Not only is this dilemma posed to secondary targets, but any potential company who may be approached or seek working with Elbit must consider the risk of Palestine Action.

Focus

In order to win we focus our direct action campaign on one or a couple of primary targets and then target secondary targets in order to isolate the primary target. Maximising our impact by utilising resources against specific targets means we are more likely to be victorious – and by doing so, we send a message to all others of what can happen if you facilitate the colonisation of Palestine. 


The key target of our campaign is Elbit Systems, whose whole business model is reliant on the destruction of Palestine and the ethnic cleansing of the population. They are the manifestation of the zionist regime in Britain – one with factories we can focus our resources on. 


We stray away from a scatter gun approach as applying maximum disruption is best done in a focused campaign

Sacrifice

Every struggle requires sacrifice. 


It is pivotal to understand that Palestine Action do not seek or glorify arrests as the means to create changes. However, we do embody the principle of sacrifice as often arrests are a consequence of causing sustained disruption. Levels of sacrifice will differ from person to person, whether you’re sacrificing your comfort, a night in a police station, putting yourself through the court process or even prison, it is all a part of the same struggle. 


Counterintuitively, some may believe arrests puts people off from taking action, but in fact the reverse is usually true. To see others willing to sacrifice their liberty for a cause demonstrates the seriousness of the issue and the dedication of people in this country in order to further the struggle for Palestinian liberation. It also has the power to inspire other people to step up their commitment, whether through direct action or regular community mobilisation against the target.


For our primary targets, understanding that people are willing to sacrifice their liberty in order to shut them down or end their links with a primary target, is incredibly powerful. It means that we are a movement which is unstoppable, one that can’t be defeated by threatening us with state repression. It shows them that whilst they can call the police on us, we still hold power as we are willing to confront the worst they can feasibly do to us here – which is incomparable to what happens to the Palestinian people. 


Many actions are described as ‘covert’, which means people disguise their identity and aim to get away – this is more possible for actions at secondary targets and does not involved sustained blockades or occupations. Although not all actions will lead to the consequence of arrest, those who take covert action still risk their liberty in order to further the struggle.